Lubricating apparatus



y 24, 1951 E. w. DAVIS 2,561,785

LUBRICATING APPARATUS Filed June 15, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet l l l m'e.

E. W. DAVIS LUBRICATING APPARATUS July 24, 1951 Filed June 15. 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 24, 1951 E. w. DAVIS LUBRICATINGAPPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 15, 1945 E's/Les? July 24, 1951 E. w. DAVIS 2,

v LUBRICATING APPARATUS Filed June 15, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 mc a g.

Patented July 24; 1951 UNITED STATES LUBRICATING APPARATUS Ernest W. Davis. RiveriForest, Ill.

Application June '15, 1945,;Scfial No. 5995665- 5 Claims.

.rMy invention relates generally to lubricating apparatus, and more particularly to :a multiple grease pump lubricating .system.

It. is an, object of, the invention to provide an improved apparatus for the lubrication of a plurality'of bearings of a machine.

A further object is to provide an improved lubricant compressor shaving-a plurality of pump-- ing cylinders and common means .for feeding a lubricant, such as grease, to the pumps.

A further object is to provide an improved :reservoir for greasahaving means to feedthe grease downwardly to prime the pumps.

A further object is to provide a multiple unit grease pumping apparatus having common means for actuating the pumps seriatim.

A further object is :to provide an improved multiple grease pump in which the individual pumps may easily be removed and replaced.

. Other objects will appear from the following description, reference bein had to the accompanying drawings, in which: I

.Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the lubricant compressor shown attached to a part of a machine to be lubricated;

. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on theline 2-2 ofFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1-;

.Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the inlet fitting and strainer;

5 is a central vertical sectional View of one :of the grease pumps;

6 is a central vertical sectional view taken on the line-66 of Fig.1; and s Fig. '7 is ,a diagrammatic view .of the electrical control circuits for the apparatus.

lubricatin apparatus is illustrated as applied to the lubrication of a power operated :machine I0 fragmentarily illustrated in Fig. 1, being attached to a boss I2 thereof as by cap screws #4 (Rig. 3 r

The pumping mechanism comprises a reservoir l6 having a hinged cover l8 and a bottom "20. The reservoir :is attached to amounting bracket or :base 22 whichis preferably a .hollow casting, thefront end of which is closed by a removable semi-"cylindrical plate :24. A motor 28 and speed reducing gear box 28 are secured to the bottom of the bracket 22 =byycap screws 29, the speed rer ducing gearing terminating in a drive shaft 3%. The end of the drive shaft 30 is of 'D-shaped cross section and fits in a socket 32 formed in the lower end of :a shaft 3-4., being held by a set screw 36; "Ike shaft 34 is rotatable a bearing boss :88

formed integrallywith the bottom 20. An -antifriction thrust bearing assembly is is positioned between a-shoulder 42 "formed on the shaft =30 and the bottom 20. i v t 5 A casting 44 is keyed to the upper end of the shaft 34 and is secured thereto by-a nut '46 threadedon the-endof the shaft, suitable washers being interposedbetween'the-nut and the casting M. An arm 48 of the. casting 4.4 is tappedto receive a eap screw 50 which holds a bearing bushing 52 for a frusto-conically faced roller 5 b The other arm 56 of the casting 44 is shaped as an :inclined vane to pres grease downwardly and its end is formed for attachment to a helical wiping blade 58. This blade is so-conformed that its edge .w-ipesalong the-cylindrical surface of the grease reservoir 16, with. the result that as the shaft 36 rotates .in the direction indicated by the arrows, the blade 58 will tend'to force the -.grease downwardly along the inner surface of theres ervoir .so as .to ,primelubricant pumps 50.

There are twelve pumps .60 arranged in ,an

arcuate row concentric w-iththe shaft 34,- Each of these pumps is constructed as shown in Fig.- 5. The pump vcomprises'a body 62 having a cylin-. drical bore 64. A plunger 66 has .a portion 68 of increased diameter which is guided .in a bore Ill formed in thebody .62, the bore 10 being provided with. an inlet port". The lower end of the plunger terminates in a piston portion 14 which is .accuratelvfitted to the bore 64. The length of the piston portion M determines {the displacement of the pump. By having these of difierent lengths, or by otherwise changing the eifective stroke of "the pump, the displacement of each pump may be made to correspond to the lubricant requirements of the bearing to,

the pump is connected. v I v The plunger 66 hasa flanged head (6 which is guided 'by a sleeve l8 threaded to the'upper end of the body 62. A coil spring is compressed between "the flange of the plunger head it and the upper end of the body 62, and thus normally holds the plunger in its retracted position as shown in Fig.5. The'lower end of the "bore M has a conical shoulder 82 forming aseat for an outlet ball check valve 8d, the valve being held against its seat by a compressed spring 86.

A check valve fitting 88 is threaded in the lower end of the body 62 and includes a spring pressed ball checkfvalve 90. A tube 92 for conev veying the grease to the part of the machine to be lubricated is suitably securedto the check valve fitting 88. 1 The reservoiris maybe filled by removing the 3 cover I8 and ladling the grease into it, but it is preferable, in order to avoid contamination of the grease, to pump it into the reservoir I6 directly from the drum in which the grease is shipped. To this end there is provided a lubricant receiving fitting 94 to which may be coupled the discharge hose of the pump used to empty the drum. The fitting 94 is threaded in a strainer housing 96 and the latter is threaded to a pipe 98 which is suitably connected to the bottom 20 so as to deliver the grease into the reservoir I6. It will be noted that the tubes 92 from the pumps 60 at one side of the lubricator are secured to the bracket 22 and plate I2 by clamps 99. tubes lead to the parts of the machine to be lubricated, such, for example, as the bearing I (Fig.

1) for a rocker arm I02 formingpart of *the' machine. I 7

It will be noted that the pumps 6|] are located beyond-the bracket 22 so that any one of these pumps maybe removed merely by disconnecting it's discharge tube and unscrewing it from the bottom 20. Thus any of the pumps may bereplaced by another having a different displacement. Also, the arrangement is such that the plate 24 may be removed and access had to the cap screws 23 and 29 and to the set screw 36- and pipe 98 in the event that this is found'necessary in servicing the apparatus.

; In Fig. '7 there is shown a typical circuit diagram for the lubricating system. Power for the operation of the motor I06 of the machine is supplied upon closure of main switch I08. A timing motor III] is connected in parallel withthe ma chine motor I66, the timing motor preferably being a small synchronous motor driving a cam 2 through a suitable speed reducing gearing contained in a housing I I4. Thecam I I2 periodically closes a switch] I6 to complete a circuit to the lubricator motor 26. Instead of utilizing a timing motor, in some installations it may be preferable to operate the switch I I6 from some part of the machine driven by the motor I06,

From Fig. 7, it will be apparent that the hibricator motor 26 is periodically energized during the time that the machine upon which the system is installed is in operation. I ,Themotor 26 drives the shaft 34 at a relatively slow speed, in the order of 8 or 10 R. The roller 54 successively engages the heads I6 of the pumps and depresses them to cause the piston portions I4 thereof to discharge the lubricant contained in their cylinders 64. Inasmuch as the plungers are operated rather slowly, it is of importance to have a very close fit between the piston portion I4 and the cylinder 64. As the roller 54 rolls past the heads I6 the springs 80. will retract the plungers 66 and draw fresh charges of grease into the cylinders 64 and bores 10. i

The portion 68 of the plunger 66, during the initial portion of the downward movement of the plunger, tends to force the grease contained within the bore I0 into the cylinder 64 in the event that the grease, due to its high viscosity,

These I bottom of the reservoir and removing entrapped air therefrom.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent that numerous variations and modifications thereof may be made without departing from the underlying principles of the invention, and the invention is therefore to be understood as including all variations, modifications and equivalents which may come within the scope of the appended claims.

, Iclaim: 1. In a lubricator, the combination of a generally cylindrical reservoir, a plurality of reciprocating pumps each having a cylinder and a spring-returned plunger therein, means for threading said cylinder into the bottom of the reservoirfrom the outside thereof with inlet failed to fill the cylinder 64 upon retraction of the piston I4.

As the shaft 34 rotates, the blade 58 scrapes along the inner Wall of the reservoir I6 and forces the lubricant downwardly toward the inlet ports I2 of the various pumps, so as to facilitate priming them and to prevent cavitation of th grease in the reservoir. The bracket arm or vane 56 similarly aids in compacting the grease at the openings within the cylinders exposed within the reservoir andwith the plungers having exposed ends within the reservoir, a shaft extending through the bottom of the reservoir in a direction parallel to the axes of the pumps, power means to rotate said shaft, a pair of arms secured to said shaft Within the reservoir adjacent "the bottom' thereof, a roller rotary mounted at the outer end of one of said arms and operatively engageable with the ends of the pump plunger-s, and vane means carried by the other arm formed to cause flow of lubricant toward the pump as the shaft rotates. v I

2. In a lubricator having a hollow bracket, a" reservoir mounted upon said bracket, a plurality of pumps connected to a portion of the bottom-of the reservoir which extend beyond the bracket, said pumps being operative for withdrawing measured charges of lubricant from the reservoir and discharging the lubricant to parts to be lubri cated, a discharge conduit connected to each of said pumps, power means to operate said pumps successively including a driving member within the hollow bracket and extending through thev bottom of the reservoir, and means for securing said discharge conduits to the outer-surface of said bracket.

3. In a lubricator, the combination of a cylindrical reservoir, a shaft in said reservoir, power means for rotating said shaft, a plurality of pumps at the bottom of the reservoir arranged in an arcuate row around the axis of said shaft, each of said pumps comprising a cylinder, a plunger reciprocable in the cylinder, a spring urging said plunger out of the cylinder, means to force saidplungers successively into their cylinders comprising an arm secured to said shaft and a roller mounted on said arm and operatively engageable successively with the ends of the plungers as the shaft is rotated, and a helically shaped blade secured to said arm and having its lower endex-T tending into the annular space between the arcti ate row of pump cylinders and the inner wall of the reservoir, whereby the edge of said blade will scrape lubricant downwardly from the reservoir wall toward the pumps a said shaft is rotated.

4. In a lubricator, a supporting bracket, a reservoir secured to said bracket, a plurality of recip rocating pumps arranged in an arcuate row and having the discharge ends thereof extending through the bottom of the reservoir, a rotatable shaft extending through the bottom of the res-' ervoir centrally with respect to said row of pumps, means carried by said shaft inside the reservoir to operate the pumps successively, a generally helical scraper blade adapted to engage the inner cylindrical surface of the reservoir to scrape lub- 5 ricant therefrom and advance it toward the pumps, and an inclined vane of substantial area forming an arm rigidly connecting the scraper blade intermediate its ends over a substantial portion of its length to the shaft, said vane 00- 5 operating with said blade to force lubricant downwardly as the shaft rotates.

5. In a lubricator the combination of a generally cylindrical reservoir, a plurality of pumps extending upwardly from the bottom or" said reservoir in an arcuate row concentric with the inner wall of said reservoir and relatively closely spaced to said wall, said pump having an inlet adjacent the bottom of the reservoir, a shaft extending through the bottom of said reservoir, power means for rotating said shaft, pump actuating means rotated by said shaft for successively operating said pumps, a vane operated by said shaft and adapted to advance lubricant toward said pumps, and a blade secured to said vane and having a lower end part which moves in the annular space between said pumps and the inner wall of said reservoir to urge lubricant toward the inlets to said pumps.

ERNEST W. DAVIS.

6 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 831,890 Plane et a1 Sept. 25, 1906 989,694 Charter Apr. 18, 1911 1,078,889 Woerner Nov. 18, 1913 1,37%,315 Murphy Apr. 12, 1921 1,820,266 Bilderback Aug. 25, 1931 1,933,809 Jullig Nov. 7, 1933 1,937,032 Schlosshauser Nov. 28, 1933 1,952,746 DeLong Mar. 27, 1934 1,980,984 Davis Nov. 20, 1934 2,312,304 Anderson .Mar. 2, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 285,346 Great Britain Feb. .16, 1928 563,578 Germany Nov. 7, 1932 

